Heart of a Mercenary Part I
by DKnight
Summary: Boba Fett, in hiding recieves a mysterious challenge. A bit short, more of a prologue really


I'm a nineteen-year old University student who has aspirations of writing someday. With that said I do not own these characters, nor do I make any money off these stories. They're just for fun and to entertain (I hope). 

This takes place a few years after Return of the Jedi, and is my version of what happens to Boba Fett. This is my first submission so go easy on me. Please R and R

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Heart of a Mercenary

Part I

By DKnight

The outer rim of the galaxy was among the most quiet and least traveled regions in known space. Few, if any ever came here, and it was always in a state of perpetual serenity and emptiness. Yet, today a ship was present. A ship known to many as _Slave II_, and her lone occupant was anything, but serene and at peace.

The lone occupant of the tiny ship paced back and forth in the tiny, rust covered living quarters of the vessel and muttered to himself. His memories of the past left him unable to sleep again. He finally realized that sleep was not going to come to him, and emerged into the light. The captain of this ship stood motionless in the dim cabin's light, revealing the scratched green Mandalorian armor that was his signature. Throughout the galaxy he was known as Boba Fett.

Fett groaned with exhaustion and entered the control center of the ship. He slumped down in the pilot's chair with a loud clang from his armor against the chair. He shifted in the seat and peered out of the window in front of him, and saw nothing. He despised this sector of space. It was too remote and boring to be of any interest to him, but present circumstances forced him to hide. In the New Republic's eyes he was a wanted criminal and was likely carrying a death sentence on his head. 

How he cursed the past few years. It had started simply enough. Jabba the Hutt had enlisted him to bring in a smuggler named Captain Solo. The smuggler in question had dumped an entire shipment of Jabba's cargo after being stopped by an Imperial cruiser. It had sounded like a simple enough assignment, but the trouble it had put him through. At last he captured his quarry on Bespin, but only with the help of the Empire and Lord Vader. As his mind drifted toward thoughts of Vader feelings of hatred and revulsion slowly began to bubble within him. He hated Vader. Even with Vader's death, the animosity remained. After capturing Solo, Fett had taken him back to Jabba frozen in carbonite, but it wasn't long until that accursed Jedi and his friends rescued him. After the fight Fett found himself in the pit of Sardac and left for dead. It had taken him days, but he had fixed his boosters and escaped to safety. Fett shuddered at the screaming of men dying in the maw of that pit. Better them than him, though. After his escape, as though he had been gone for centuries, he found the Empire gone and Solo a general of the New Republic Fleet. Fate was indeed a cruel mistress.

Fett continued to stare out into the black curtain of space and continued to think. _I'm almost tempted to head back to Republic space. At least there'd be some excitement there._ He shook his head, though. _Can't go back yet. They'd pick me up in a day. I'd better wait until things die down. Then I'll have my prize. General Solo doesn't realize that Hutt's living relatives have kept the bounty going, although they've tripled the money. _Fett Smiled beneath his helmet_. And unlike Jabba they'll take him dead as well._

Suddenly, as if someone answered his yearning for something to happen the communication light began to flash. "What the?" Fett said out loud. "Who knows I'm here?" He pushed the button to open the channel. "Who is this?" Fett growled through the speaker.

Only silence answered him, but finally a voice answered back. "I've been looking for you for a long time, Boba Fett," a man's voice said flatly. "And now I've found you."

"Who the hell is this?" Fett shot back. He tried to recognize the voice, but couldn't give a face to it. 

"Oh, we've met before," the voice said in a whisper. "We've met before. I swore that day to kill you."

"Many have tried," Fett said back. "All have failed. I don't even know who you are."

"If you're the man you say you are you'll follow this tracer and meet me in single combat," the voice said, still emotionless. "Or I'll hunt you down. One way or another you're a dead man.

"I'm not afraid of you. I don't even know you, but I've got your signal and I intend to follow it, your hours are numbered."

Fett shut off the channel and put the ship on autopilot to follow the signal. He stood up and walked into the hold and grabbed his blaster rifle. He checked the power level. It was fully charged. _At last, _he thought. _Something to do. Who the hell is this though? Probably just some foolish hot shot, who wants to make a name for himself. Either that, or someone looking to collect some bounty from the Republic for my head. Either way they won't live long enough. _He paused. _He said I knew him, but I don't recognize the voice or the planet he's situated. No matter._ He strapped the blaster to his back and checked that his armor was fastened properly. He almost never took it off. _I'll deal with this upstart and then I'll have to hie somewhere else. Any number of people could have heard that transmission. I may have to go after Solo early after all._ _I'm coming for you Solo. _Fett smiled as _Slave II_ descended towards the barren rocky planet.

To Be Continued… If people want it to


End file.
